After Abe, Will Press Freedom Improve in Japan?

New Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide is widely seen as a continuity choice. Will he change course on media freedoms?

The recent retirement of Abe Shinzo as prime minister of Japan has prompted much conversation about his legacy. Some view his record of domestic accomplishments as paltry, or blame him for the deterioration of Japan’s relations with Asian neighbors, notably South Korea. Many journalists reported being sidelined or silenced after pressure from Abe or his allies in his ruling Liberal Democratic Party . For example, a number of highly respected TV anchors were removed from their positions after Abe had had private dinners with their bosses. As prime minister, he packed the organization’s senior ranks with loyalists, naming ally Momii Katsuto as NHK president in 2013. Momii, who had absolutely no prior experience in either journalism or broadcasting, promptly undermined trust in NHK’s impartiality by claiming that «when the government is saying ‘right’ we can’t say ‘left.» Abe also appointed a number of outspoken nationalists to NHK’s Board of Governors, including Naoki Hyakuta, a novelist whose incendiary remarks included the false claim that the Nanking massacre never happened.

This article was written by  Henry Laurence

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